In China, dugongs, marine mammals that have lived in the country's southern waters for hundreds of years, have become extinct.

The number of animals in Chinese waters began to decline sharply from the 1970s due to fishing, collision with ships and the gradual destruction of dugong habitat. Since 1988, the State Council of China has classified the dugong as a key protected animal of the first degree. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed the species as the most vulnerable.